Loved And Lost

by EquineAvenger


Chapter 5 (edited 06/29/19)

Princess Celestia finally regained consciousness, and found herself encased in a green cocoon hanging from the ceiling of the wedding. The shield spell had broken and now the changelings free to invade Canterlot.
“You won’t get away with this!” Cadance told Chrysalis. Her hooves were glued to the alter near Shining Armor by a strange green substance. Spike stayed by her side. Jewelius also stood on the alter glaring at the queen. “Twilight and her friends will-” However, she was interrupted when she saw Twilight and her friends being brought in by a group of changelings.
“You were saying?” Chrysalis asked the princess mockingly.
“Are you alright?” Jewelius asked Twilight running to her.
“You do realize the reception’s been cancelled, don’t you?” Chrysalis mocked them. “Go! Feed!” She commanded her changelings to leave and closed the door behind them. Chrysalis chuckled as she approached Twilight and her friends. “It’s funny, really. Twilight here was suspicious of my behavior all along.” She taunted them putting her hoof under Twilight’s chin, but the unicorn pushed it away. “Too bad the rest of you were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct!” she said laughing at them.
“Sorry, Twi.” A visibly regretful Applejack apologized to her friend. “We shoulda’ listened to you.”
Twilight was about to tell her ‘it wasn’t her fault and Chrysalis fooled everypony’, but Jewelius spoke first. “We can deal with that issue later. First, we have to take care of this.”
“You poor fool, it’s over.” Chrysalis mocked the prince and walked over to a window to watch her army chase frightened ponies and lay carnage to the city, all the while singing to herself.
“This day has been just perfect
The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed since I was small
Everypony I’ll soon control
Every stallion, mare, and foal
Who says a girl can’t really have it all?”
The queen laughed while enjoying her victory. However, while she wasn’t looking, Twilight snuck over to Cadance.
“Quick! Go to him while you still have the chance!” she told her old foalsitter, and with a blast of magic, freed her from the floor.
Cadance gave her a grateful smile and hurried over to Shining Armor, who was still in a trance. The sight of her beloved in this state was unbearable to her. She tearfully embraced him and performed her famous love spell. To everyone’s surprise, it snapped him out of his trance.
“Wha- where… huh?” Shining said dazed. “Is… is the wedding over?”
“It’s all over!” Chrysalis told him.
“Your spell! Perform your spell!” Twilight called to her brother.
“What good would that do?” the queen laughed. “My changelings already roam free!” She pointed to the chaos outside.
“No!” Shining exclaimed in horror realizing he had failed his duties. He desperately attempted to perform his shield spell again, but he was too weak. “My power is useless now. I don’t have the strength to repel them.” He lowered his head in shame.
“Twilight, do you remember that spell I showed you earlier?” Jewelius asked.
“Yes. What about it?” Twilight replied.
The prince pulled out a glass jar he had concealed inside his robe. Instantly, Twilight realized his plan and began lighting up her horn.
“Ha! How is that going to stop us?” Chrysalis mockingly asked them. The prince responded by shooting her a sly and malicious grin. “What?!”
Then with Twilight’s horn let out a huge blinding light that engulfed the entire city of Canterlot. When the light had cleared, the changelings were all gone. Everyone looked down at the jar and trapped inside it was Chrysalis and her army, shrunken down to the size of tiny insects. Twilight was panting heavily, performing that spell took a lot out of her. Everyone in the room started cheering their victory and congratulating Twilight, who looked very exhausted.
“Not so tough now, are ya?” Rainbow Dash mocked the tiny trapped changelings. Chrysalis was frantically pounding on the inside of the jar, yelling (unfortunately, no one could hear her), and pointing at Prince Jewelius who was watching Twilight walk over to his now-freed aunt, Celestia.
A group of wedding guests and royal guards led by Vivian entered the room.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” The princess warmly assured her student as she helped her up. “You have a real wedding to put together.”
“I don’t think so!” Jewelius sternly declared getting everyone’s attention.
“Is something wrong, Jewelius?” a concerned Cadance asked her cousin.
“The invaders have been defeated, Your Highness.” Shining added.
Jewelius let out a wicked laugh that brought an uneasy mood to the room. “There are still some questions regarding the matter that need to be answered.” He said as he approached his older cousin. “Cadance, how did that thing manage to sneak in here and impersonate you?” he asked in a demanding tone.
Cadance remembered one day she was walking down a hallway when she heard Jewelius call her into a room.
“Cadance, dear.” He called. “Will you come in here? I have something very important to tell you.” Cadance followed him into the room.
“What is it, Jewelius?” she politely asked.
Suddenly, she was hit with a blast of energy that knocked her hard into the wall. She lay on the floor, losing consciousness. The last thing she saw was what looked like her cousin staring down at her with an evil grin.
“She looked just like you, cousin.” Cadance nervously explained. “I never suspected. She knocked me out and when I woke up I was trapped in the caverns beneath the castle, and she was me!”
“So you were the one who let her in!” Jewelius furiously accused.
“No, I-” Cadance frantically tried to explain herself.
Everyone in the room was getting really nervous. This was starting to look like a repeat of the wedding rehearsal. Only this time they had the real Cadance and Jewelius was in Twilight’s place.
“And you, Captain Armor!” the prince turned to Shining. “What possessed you to allow such a monster to walk through the castle right under your nose? Especially after receiving a warning from your own sister, whom you coldly dismissed!”
The guests and guards gasped when they heard this and started chatting amongst themselves.
“I… I can explain,” Shining nervously said realizing he was in trouble, but the prince would not have it.
"Very well then, explain what came over you to disown your beloved sister and deem the safety of everypony in Canterlot less important then your precious wedding," the prince demanded with a hint of sadism in his voice. "Or was it the work of the changeling that made you so foolish as to betray your own flesh and blood as well as all the ponies you swore to protect as Captain of the Guard?"
Shining Armor hung his head in shame. He knew he had to answer honestly. "No, I made my own decisions," he said remorsefully earning a look of heartbreak from Twilight and a look of satisfaction from his accuser.
“Then you are guilty. You’re a disgrace to the guard!” the prince shouted in the captain's face.
“Jewelius, please calm yourself,” Celestia attempted to reason with her nephew, but Vivian stood in her way and aimed her glowing red horn threateningly at her.
“My dear aunt, Celestia, and the so-called bridesmaids.” The prince turned his attention to them now. “How could you all not have seen the signs? How could you have fallen for such obvious trickery? Forsake all of Canterlot just to play dress up for a false bride?! Are you insane?”
"My dear nephew, please calm down and stop this at once," Celestia nervously demanded.
"Stop?! I'm just getting started," her nephew replied sinisterly.
"If Twilight had kept a level head, and perhaps brought us some evidence, then this all would've turned out differently," the sun princess tried to explain herself. "I give you my word."
Jewelius just chuckled at her explanation. "Pathetic my dear aunty, oh how the mighty have fallen so low. You have proven yourself unfit to rule over Equestria any longer." Then he turned to the Mane Five. "And you fools have proven yourselves unfit to act as our Elements of Harmony, our protectors, our heroes, no more."
“Wait, we can explain!” Rainbow said desperately.
"Just give us a chance to-" AJ tried to say.
“SILENCE!” Jewelius angrily commanded. "Do not dare speak to ME!"
“Why are you acting this?” Twilight asked shocked by the prince’s sudden change in character.
“Sweet, smart, and brave Twilight Sparkle,” The prince said a much softer tone. “You’ve already done enough for one day. I will handle things from here.” He then turned and walked over to one of the windows and looked down at the citizens standing in the damaged streets.
“Hear this, my beloved subjects. I, Prince Jewelius, have an important announcement to make,” Jewelius addressed the ponies in the streets. “Many of you are probably wondering how such vile creatures invaded our city when it looked so secured. I will now reveal the truth. This disaster was a result of foolish, selfish, irresponsible, and easily preventable acts of failure in the line of duty, and they were all committed by our princesses, our captain of the guard, and five of our beloved Elements of Harmony!” The citizens and wedding guests all gasped as the prince spoke furiously. “There was a lingering threat made to Canterlot, but instead of putting aside the wedding and dealing with it, they chose to only focus on their materialistic ambitions, and NOW look what's happened!" The citizens looked around at their damaged streets, shops, and homes. "This act is the ultimate treason against our people! Our kingdom will no longer be put in danger by fools who have no idea what they’re doing! It is high time ponykind took care of themselves and not entrust their safety to false idols! On this, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor’s wedding day, I vow to uphold our nation’s peace and security!”
Horror spread across the Mane Six, Spike, Celestia, Cadance, and Shining Armor as they realized what was happening. Jewelius was usurping their power. They had saved Equestria from one threat only to bring about another.
“Run!” Celestia whispered to the others sensing danger.
Immediately, they started heading for the door. However, Twilight collapsed from exhaustion after performing her spell.
“Twily!” Shining nervously called to his sister.
“They’re getting away!” Vivian called to her master.
Jewelius turned his attention from the citizens back to the ponies in the room. “Guards, seize them!”
“Go! I’ll look after her.” Celestia commanded the others to leave as she stood by her student who now lay unconscious on the floor.
Reluctantly, they all did as their princess commanded. They ran out the door and down the hall pursued by two guards.
“Restrain her!” Jewelius ordered the guards and pointed to his aunt.
Celestia stood in a defensive stance beside her pupil as three guards advanced on her. “All of you stand down!” She commanded.
“We follow you no more, false idol!” one of the guards retorted.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor, Cadance, Spike, and the Mane Five were frantically trying to find a way out while being pursued by the guards.
“This way!” Shining said leading down another hall.
At the end of that hallway, they saw the entrance doors of the castle. Their rushed toward the doors with all their might. But when they burst through them, they were greeted by a squad of angry guards brandishing their spears. They turned around to head back inside, but another group of guards with spears, accompanied by Vivian, was already there. They had been caught.
“Take these miserable excuses for heroes to the dungeon.” Vivian commanded. “His Majesty will decide their fates later.” With that, all eight of them were escorted away by the guards.

Back at the wedding hall, the guards had managed to subdue Celestia. Her horn, neck, and two front hooves were tied in magic-proof robe. The wedding guests in the room did nothing to help her. They all glared at her, believing everything her nephew said was true. The looks of resentment were like knives to her heart. She wondered if this is what Twilight felt when she turned her back on her.
“Take this garbage away.” Jewelius commanded a guard. “And have some squads patrol the castle grounds until Princess Luna returns and apprehend her. She will need to answer for her role in this.”
“Yes, my lord.” The guard complied.
“Jewelius, what about Twilight?” Celestia asked visibly concerned for her student.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be taken to the medical wing for recovery. I’ve got plans for her. I’ll take better care of her than you ever did.” The prince said giving his aunt a horrible sinister grin.
The guards escorted the horrified and beaten Celestia and carried the jar of changelings out of the wedding hall. Shortly after they left, Vivian arrived.
"Twilight, my dear," Jewelius said to the unconscious unicorn. "Together you and I will restore greatness to this disgraced kingdom."
“The others have been apprehended, Your Highness.” She told him.
“Excellent, Vivian. I will take control of Equestria from here on, and I will be known as Holy King Jewelius I.” the former prince declared proudly and maliciously.